


Year of the Cat

by BWolf_20



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Cat Tony Stark, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pet & Owner relationship, Pet Owner Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Self-Acceptance, Tony happy with cat life, cat instincts, petting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BWolf_20/pseuds/BWolf_20
Summary: Tony had a bad run in with a sorceress who, before dying, cursed Tony into being a cat. Of all people to find him lying in the alley, Peter Parker took him home. Tony finds the kid is very much in need of a friend just as he is as his human life hadn’t been going so well for him. So perhaps being the kid’s pet cat wouldn’t be all that bad, especially when Aunt May turns him into a puddle when she scratches him behind the ears.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 27
Kudos: 287





	1. Tail of a new Stark

**Author's Note:**

> Started this chapter a while back when I was reading a bunch of cat Tony fics. I enjoy fics of Tony turning into an animal, yet just about all of them, have people knowing (or eventually knowing) it's Tony and there's the goal of turning him back to human. I always wanted to work on a fic where Tony perhaps didn't change back, but more-so he was comfortable, and possibly happy with being an animal. Never encountered a fic like that, let alone one involving Peter, and considering Tony and Peter's relationship, he's perfect for taking care of Tony.

A gentle pleasant purr erupted from within Tony’s throat as the gentle slender fingers stroked him behind the ears. It always felt as good, if not better, than the massages he’d received at an expensive spa. Masseuses were paid to relax any tension he had in his body. Aunt May wasn’t being paid to do this to him. She genuinely wanted to rub him behind the ears because she had come to adore him rather quickly, and Tony was relieved of that.

When her fingers stopped, he opened his eyes and gave her a questioning look.

 _‘I don’t remember telling you to stop,’_ he said, mentally as she of course could not understand him. 

She gave him something of a mischievous smile.

“Spike, you’re getting spoiled,” she noted.

Tony meowed, expressing something of agreement. Sure, he may be getting a little spoiled, but what was wrong with that. He had been turned into a cat, so he felt entitled to some nice comforts. He pawed at her hand for encouragement and meowed again. Smiling, Aunt May shook her head and returned to her duty in making him melt. He had cozied up next to her on the couch, keeping himself upright in a seated position next to her legs. Once she started up again, he flattened out across her lap with his eyes turning to slits.

_‘This is the life…sort of.’_

The front door to the apartment opened and a familiar voice rang through.

“Hey Aunt May.”

Pleased to see the boy home safe and sound, Tony jumped off of Aunt May’s lap and approached Peter with a welcome home meow. Peter bent down and rubbed his head in greeting, just as he always did.

“Hey Spike. Hope you didn’t let Aunt May spoil you all day.”

_‘Maybe just a little.’_

He fell into his routine of rubbing up against his legs once he was done petting him.

“After all this time, you don’t seem to know that cat very well,” his aunt joked. “He’s a pretty demanding cat.”

“He’s just pretty affectionate.”

“No kidding. He greets you like a dog. From the few cats I knew in my life, they would just sit and look at their owners.”

“Spike’s different. He’s special.”

Tony’s tail stood up nice and tall as he looked up at Peter.

_‘Kid, you have no idea how special I am’_

When Peter stretched out his arms, Tony jumped up and landed right in them. The kid happily ran his fingers down the soft fur of his back. 

“Alright. I got homework to get to.”

Peter clutched Tony close and made his way to his room. Not once did Tony stop purring.

Once they were in his bedroom, Peter dropped Tony on the floor then walked over to the bed to start on his schoolwork. Tony watched him for a minute longer before padding up to a full length mirror near the corner. There he was able to get a good look at his cat body, the one he’d been stuck in for six months now. His fur was a gorgeous mix of a dark chocolate coloring and midnight black, soft and fluffy. It wasn’t smooth or short. He was a long-haired cat with a nice fluffy tail to boot. Rather than the brown coloring of his human eyes, he now had golden orbs that gave him a keen sense of sight. 

Tony settled to a seated position as he continued to stare at himself. If he had to be a cat, well, at least he was a handsome one. But of course the problem remained that he was a cat in the first place.

Six months ago he had tampered with the wrong woman. Unbeknownst to him, the sultry brunette was a sorceress who had been prying into one of his latest energy projects. He never learned what she was attempting to gain from it, but he eventually speculated she wanted to use it as some kind of life extender for herself since the sorceress had been on the verge of dying. He hadn’t known that much then. What he’d gathered quickly enough was that she was capable of sending blasts of magic his way as he fired back at her within his suit.

One good shot had her tumbling into an alleyway, and when Tony approached her, she was struggling to make it. She explained her circumstances then, but Tony hadn’t been overly sympathetic. The woman needed to be taken down, and that’s all there was to it. For all he knew, it was just a ploy anyways. However, right before his very eyes, her body started to shrivel and crumble into dust. Stunned, Tony could only watch, and that’s when she took the opportunity to raise her hand and curse him into what he was now. 

Tony grimaced as best a cat could as he remembered the shock of power that struck him in the chest. Her magic obliterated his suit and penetrated his flesh, sending him falling to the ground, yowling. With blurry eyes, he watched as the sorceress smiled wickedly at him before crumbling into dust that was taken away by the wind. 

Alone, he was forced to experience the agonizing transformation of shrinking and sprouting fur. His ears tingled badly and shifted to the top of his head while becoming triangular. His spine curved and his tailbone lengthened to form his ever expressive tail. He had lost consciousness after that and only roused to wakefulness when he felt warm hands close around his limp body. Peter, suited up as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, had swung by and apparently caught sight of his still form. He recalled blinking tiredly as the boy’s face hovered over him, smiling gently.

“Hey there little fellow,” he had said softly. “You alright? Are you alone?”

Tony had tried to answer then, but his words came out as a small little ‘mew’. He knew nothing after that as darkness took him. Next thing he knew, he was waking up on a soft cushion on the floor and hearing Peter make an argument to keep him. From then on, he was Peter’s pet cat. A cat the kid had decided to name Spike.

Naturally he had tried to communicate who he really was since the kid hadn’t noticed any possible surviving red and gold Iron man armor pieces lying nearby. His first attempt was to type on the kid’s keyboard, but his attempt to write out ‘I’m Tony Stark’ became unreadable lines of ‘KMOWKRYNISA’. He was gently reprimanded for that, but it didn’t stop him from trying again. The second time, he tried paying closer attention to the letters he needed, but the strange thing was his mind couldn’t make sense of the letters. In fact, he had quickly come to the scary realization that he couldn’t even read, let alone spell. Apparently the cat curse had done its job too well because his literacy skills was as good as the average cat’s. He had freaked out badly upon waking and seeing that he was really a cat in Peter’s home, but when he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t even read a simple title on one of Peter’s schoolbooks, his fur stood on end as he freaked out all over again. 

It was the sorceress’s intention obviously. She just had to make sure he wouldn’t be able to alert anyone about his condition. In his opinion, stopping at just turning him into a cat was good enough, because he wasn’t even sure how anyone would be able to make him human again even if he could communicate. Then again, he did know people like Thor, and he supposed with enough digging he would have been able to get into contact with some form of magic to reverse the curse. But that wasn’t happening since communication was out the window and since Thor had been gone for a while. 

He attempted a few other means to inform Peter, including drawing out the situation by getting into the kid’s paints. But it was as legible as his typing and made him look like a mischievous cat who’d been dumb enough to get into the paints to make a mess. So for now, the world had to continue wondering what happened to him. When his picture had flashed up on the news, Tony reacted wildly, attempting to show Peter and his aunt that he was right there with them. Sadly, Aunt May thought he was just being silly. Peter on the other hand had theorized that he might have been Tony Stark’s pet cat. 

All in all, neither of them connected the dots. It was understandable. He never blamed them for not understanding, because who would ever believe that Tony just happened to turn into a cat because of a sorceress? There were a lot of strange things in the world, but what had happened to him was definitely the strangest.

Tony got to his feet and nosed his reflection as he swished his tail back and forth. It had taken three months for him to become comfortable in his new form, then two more months to accept that he was possibly never changing back to his human form. Now, after six months, cat life didn’t feel so bad. Actually it felt rather freeing, and he knew it was mainly because things had been difficult around the time he was changed. For one thing he found himself struggling with a few projects with his company. On top of that, he and Pepper had broken up. And if those weren’t bad enough, a previous mission he’d gone on with the Avengers had resulted in a fail, resulting in him having gotten into a bad fight with Steve and even Fury. Yes, it had been a month of frustrations before his fated run-in with the sorceress, and shamefully he had turned to drinking more in that time. So in a weird twisted way it was as if the sorceress had given him a clean slate because life as a cat was easier than life as a human.

Still, it wasn’t as if he didn’t miss life on two legs. With four legs, there was no inventing or flying through the sky as Iron man to help others. He missed his old human friends like Rhodey and Happy. Despite the break-up, he missed Pepper and sometimes wondered if they would’ve been able to patch things up. And even though he’d gone bad rounds with Captain America, he did for the most part appreciate working on a team. Being human Tony Stark was what he did best afterall, and even though he’d have rough periods from time to time, he always pushed through. This time it seemed the universe steered him toward a new way of pushing through, by becoming a cat.

Even though the situation wasn’t the best, he tried to find something positive about it.

He turned from the mirror and looked over at the boy on the bed. The one positive thing was that he ended up with someone he knew. He could have easily been picked up by some random person, or worse, ended up having to fend for himself as a stray cat. He felt lucky to be owned by Peter, and not just because he was a familiar face. In a way, he felt like he was able to watch over the kid up close and be there when he needed him. The kid had decided to jump into the superhero business early and that naturally put him at risk for serious injuries. As a cat there wasn’t anything he could do whenever he got hurt or flung himself into danger. All he could do was be a comforting presence. He didn’t know a lot about animals, but he thought he’d read once that they were good at relaxing people for therapeutic purposes. So if he couldn’t be genius billionaire Tony Stark a.k.a Iron man, he’d be something Peter would find happiness and comfort in. That had to be something good to gain out of the situation.

He hopped down to the floor, then jumped onto the bed and immediately crawled across the book that was laid out for him to read.

“Spike come on,” Peter complained lightly. “Unlike you, I have the responsibility of keeping my grades up.”

 _‘Oh just rub in the fact that I don’t have responsibilities anymore’_

He flicked his tail in annoyance before plopping his butt down right on that opened book. Peter frowned, but Tony just gave him his soft golden eyes to gaze at and soon enough the kid couldn’t help smiling. He reached for him and fell into the process of running his hand over his head. The room was ringing with a chorus of purrs.

“It’s a wonder I get anything done with you around.”

_‘Yeah, I should be totally ashamed’_


	2. Instincts

Tony pawed at the pom-pom that bounced wildly around on the spring of the toy. He wasn’t even sure how long he’d been playing with it, but it was long enough for him to sink onto his back as he lazily played with it. At one point he caught it, and he gave a triumphant flick of his tail. When he released it, he didn’t bother to paw at it anymore. He just watched it fling about on the spring, slowly losing momentum. Once it became still, the game was over unless he decided to start it again.

He chose not to as he flopped on his side.

It was a dumb toy and dumb game to booth, but his new cat instincts argued otherwise. That was the thing about being a cat—it came with animal instincts. They were easy enough to override, usually, but a lot of the time it felt easier to just go with the flow which meant behaving as a cat would. He saw little reason to be embarrassed. It wasn’t as if he was a man crawling around batting at toy mouse and lapping up milk from a dish on the floor. However there were a few times when he caught himself and stopped it. Sometimes he feared that giving in would mean giving the sorceress some satisfaction in cursing him. But the truth was she wasn’t here; none of his old friends were here and the Parkers didn’t know he was Tony Stark, so why worry so much.

He licked at his paw and ran it over his face a few times. Cats didn’t have any real worries except maintaining cleanliness. He’d always kept up his appearance as a man, and he was sure as shit gonna continue to keep that going now.

He got to his feet and padded toward the kitchen. Peter was currently in class and Aunt May was out shopping, so he had the house to himself. It wasn’t the most exciting thing, and it was only really good for using the time to take a nice long nap in his basket. 

_‘Wonder if the kid has any spider work to do after school. Can’t be helped when something comes up’_

He headed to his dish and took a drink while thinking about other things he could do besides taking a nap. He raised his head after licking his chops and looked in the direction of Peter’s room. 

_‘Hey, maybe a nice stroll around the block. I could use some fresh air’_

With his tail twitching in interest, he made for the boy’s room.

There, he sought his only means of escape from the apartment—the partially opened window. Peter kept it that way so he could quickly swing into his room, especially if he had snuck out to do some crime stopping. Luckily for him there was a fire escape under the window, so he could easily escape for a period of time as well. Tony confidently jumped onto the ledge and looked down. Being up high was as close as he could get to mimicking being high in the air as a hero. Well he would take it. 

_‘Alright, let’s see what New York’s got for me today’_

With that, he began making his way down. 

Once his feet hit the ground, he felt just the smallest drop in his confidence. Exploring the city at such a low eye level on all fours still made him feel a bit nervous at times. At least within the apartment he was safe behind four walls. But outside there were dogs and rouge cats and fast moving cars. Only once did he encounter a loose dog who clearly had a hatred for his species. It wasn’t hard to outrun him and make for the nearest fence to hop over, but the ordeal still shook him up. It would suck to be terminated by a dog. On top of that, Peter and Aunt May wouldn’t know what had happened to him if his fate went in that direction.   
So far he didn’t catch the scent of any stray dog. He did however catch the scent of a mouse. Any thought of just wandering around the block went out the window in favor of hunting. 

_‘Wouldn’t hurt to take a moment to sharpen my skills’_

Going after a mouse had been a huge turn off in the beginning when he’d first caught a whiff of one, and he had assured himself that he’d never let his instincts steer him in any direction involving mice or even birds. But now he was at the point of letting go, so he got down to the ground as he stalked. In a way, it was like doing a hero mission because he’d be essentially riding the area of vermin, much like what he’d done as Iron man.

_‘Alright buddy. Don’t make this difficult. Come out with your paws up’_

His golden orbs were set sharply behind the dumpster where he could hear the little mouse munching on something. Tony slowly moved into view while keeping himself low and at a distance. From the change of his position, he could make out the tiny ball of gray fur. The space between the dumpster and the wall was just large enough for him to squeeze between quickly.

_‘We’re doing this the hard way huh? Good. It’s more fun that way’_

He lifted his back legs just a little and gave a slight wiggle of his bottom before darting forward. The mouse was quick to get away, but Tony was faster and was able to pounce on it before it could make a clean getaway in the hole of a building.

_‘Gotcha’_

His tail swished about in an expression of triumph. His ears pricked forward in interest at his captive, struggling furiously between his paws. 

_‘Peter would be proud of me for this, then again he might be grossed out’_

He teased his prey by letting it slip away for a second before throwing a paw on it quickly. Playing around with a live version of a toy was a little more thrilling than batting around a pom-pom, and oh how it satisfied his kitty interest. He chuckled mentally to himself as he imagined himself in his human body batting around a mouse. Fury would pull him off the team for sure for losing it.

_‘Alright. That’s enough of the Tom and Jerry shtick for today. Maybe same time tomorrow’_

He lifted his paw and allowed the mouse his freedom at last. Tony rested his head on his paws as he stared into the hole the mouse disappeared into as he wondered if he’d ever become compelled to eat it. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought and rose to a sitting position. At least he still had a human side to his mind. That sorceress could have wiped it away, leaving him unaware that he had ever been human at all. But he supposed that was the point of the punishment; to forever grieve for the life he had as a human instead of being allowed to live peacefully in ignorance in the full mental state of a feline. Well he had grieved, but by this point he stopped shedding figurative tears. Maybe the cat side of his brain made it easier to move on, or perhaps he really had disliked his human life that much before meeting his fate.

A chill went down his spine and he tensed up upon sensing the presence of another male cat. He puffed himself up and gave a warning hiss. An orange cat stepped into view with a hiss of his own. Tony didn’t recognize it, but its message was clear. _Stay away_.

_‘Look, I may not have sprayed down this area, but I have a right to be here’_

There was moaning and a fast flickering tail from a cat ready to fight it out. As ready as Tony felt for it, he wasn’t yet confident enough to go to that extreme. Though he knew a lot about being a cat by now, he wasn’t ready to say he mastered self-defense as a cat. He backed away slowly, all while hissing. He didn’t want Peter worrying for him if he got all cut up and bruised. 

_‘I’ll give you this round jerk, but next time, you’ll have Iron cat to deal with’_

He fled from the alley and out onto a bustling sidewalk. The tall people passing by always gave him pause. Every time he was around strangers who gave him a glance, he couldn’t help feeling like they could see through his forced cat disguise. It was absurd because of course all they saw was a cat. They didn’t see the missing billionaire super hero.

Tony looked away and began a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk, keeping close to the buildings and away from the street. 

_‘This is what I needed’_

A nice round before Peter returned home. Strolling the streets of New York wasn’t something he had normally done as a man, so he didn’t have any favorite shops to visit. The only one of interest was the shawarma restaurant he had eaten at with the team upon their first mission. 

_‘Maybe I’ll stop there. I don’t mind thinking about the team today’_

Sometimes he didn’t want to think about them. If he was going to commit to this cat life, it was better not to go to reminders of the past, but it could barely be helped when his owner was a hero himself.

“Oh, what a cute kitty.”

He turned in the direction of an old woman standing near a flower shop. Tony meowed in greeting and padded over to her. To his delight she bent down to scratch him behind the ears. She wasn’t as good as Aunt May, but she was good enough to start up his purring.

_‘Never…gets…old’_

Tony hopped through the window before Peter was due home. He could hear Aunt May bustling in the kitchen and cursed himself for taking his time out and about. Though she was never one to keep sharp eyes on him, he preferred it if she didn’t realize he slipped out on occasion. So like a cool cat, he strolled with a bit of a swagger into the living room. Aunt May crossed over and smiled down at him in passing.

“Got a treat for you today Spike. I think you’ll like it.”

Tony meowed and twitched his whiskers curiously.

_‘Oh? Last time you had a treat, it was those nasty imitation mackerel biscuit things. I like the real deal please’_

He watched her head for her room before traipsing over to a corner of the room where his climbing tower was set up. Tony easily hopped onto the first level then sunk his claws into the fabric to climb up to the horizontal cylinder and duck inside. He was glad Peter went to the trouble of purchasing it for him. That side of him that needed high places was very much appreciative. 

The door opened and in walked Peter looking just a little bit shabby, and with a bruise around the eye. Tony immediately dashed over to him as a wave of concern washed over him. 

“Hi Peter, how was…oh, what happened to your eye?”

Aunt May frowned with worry as she cupped his face and took a closer look at it. Peter gently moved her hand away and smiled.

“It’s nothing. Just tripped and banged my eye against a table.”

_‘I’m pretty certain you didn’t get that from being clumsy’_

He meowed and Peter shifted is attention downward.

“Hey Spike. Don’t you start worrying too.”

_‘Can’t help it kid. You’re doing dangerous stuff in your other life’_

Tony leapt into the kid’s arms. Peter pulled him close and began rubbing his hand down his back in a comforting manner. As great as it felt, Tony was just happy to be a source of comfort to the boy.

“Here, put some ice on that,” Aunt May advised as she offered him an ice pack.

“Thanks. I think I’ll rest for a bit. Feeling a little tired.”

“Okay.”

Tony caught the worried look on her face as he watched her from over Peter’s shoulder. He always figured that one day the woman would learn the truth, but until then she would be forced to freak out every time the kid came home banged up. Thankfully it hadn’t been too bad, but a bruised eye could be just the beginning of worse to come.

Peter dropped Tony down on the bed before falling down against the pillows with a heavy sigh. Tony observed him closely for a minute before walking up and settling his paws upon his chest.

_‘Talk to me kid. What happened?’_

Peter’s gaze was lost to the ceiling before finally moving to his pet. He smiled and rubbed his ears.

“The criminals out there are getting a lot stronger. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I’m strong enough to handle them.” He paused as a thoughtful yet worried look crossed his features. “I have to be. People are counting on Spider-Man to protect them.”

Tony meowed with a determined air.

_‘You are strong enough kid. This super hero gig isn’t easy, especially when you’re still so young and new to it.’_

He gave a little growl of frustration for not being able to guide him on the subject as a man. He could have easily offered pointers to the kid and shared his experience from being Iron man, but to Peter he was Spike, a cat that didn’t fully understand his problems. 

“Thanks Spike. I know you believe in me.”

Tony took the scratching of his ears with a grain of salt as he slowly looked into his eyes. For that moment he really wished he could speak to him. 

_‘Peter…’_

They were interrupted from the sound of his cell. Tony stepped back as Peter popped up to answer it.

“Hello. Uh…yes, I’m alone.”

Tony swiped his tail across the bed impatiently as he watched Peter move across the room to speak quietly into the phone. He was never one to eavesdrop into the kid’s conversation, and as curious as he felt about it now, Tony tuned out and laid down, desiring to sulk from his limitations in communication.

“Oh wow…that’s…I mean…yeah…I mean yes…I’ll definitely be there. Thank you.”

Tony twitch an ear at the sound of Peter’s sudden excitement.

_‘What’s that about? You get a date or something?’_

Peter spun around with a huge grin on his face.

“Guess what Spike. The Avengers invited me to the tower tomorrow.”

He was on all fours in an instant.

_‘What!’_

“Sounds like they’re considering making me a part of the team.”


	3. Hissy Fit

A whirlwind of thoughts and emotions swirled within Tony at the thought of the Avengers summoning the kid. There was very little reason to wonder why this was happening. They wouldn’t be a very perceptive team it they hadn’t noticed a wall-crawling, web-shooting, talented hero swinging around the city. Tony himself had thought the kid had enough potential to one day join the team, yet hearing about it coming to life felt too soon. And with an awful twist in his gut, he felt just the slightest bit hurt from another possible reason for the call.

He’d been gone from the world for half a year, and while no one could have possibly solved the reason for his disappearance, he was certain people were still looking for him. Neither the news nor what he could catch from social media told him if the Avengers were searching for their lost teammate. All he’d gotten was how saddened and worried they were about it. Being that he’d been rather miffed with the team, he hadn’t looked heavily into what they were doing about his absence, but he assumed they didn’t give up on him despite the fallout. Now the idea of Peter being called in spurred the idea that they had at last moved on from Iron man and were ready to fully replace him. But that couldn’t be. It had to just be about giving the kid a chance. Or maybe there was the small yet unlikely chance it had nothing at all to do with super hero work. Whatever the reason, he was going to find out firsthand.

He leapt down to the floor and jumped up against his legs like an eager puppy.

_‘There’s no way you’re not taking me too!’_

“I know Spike. Isn’t it great?” Peter pulled him into his arms a little too quickly for Tony’s liking. “The Avengers know who I am…well, at least Captain America does. He’s the one that called.”

Tony’s fur bristled just a bit at the mention of Steve. Though their fight was so long ago, it stayed with him as though it had only happened a few days ago.

_‘Was it his idea to replace me? Bet he couldn’t wait’_

Peter frowned at the sight of Tony’s flattening ears and the low growl emanating from his throat.

“Hey what’s wrong bud? You okay?”

Tony brightened and he rubbed his head under Peter’s frozen hand.

_‘Oh nothing kid. Just thinking about old…friends’_

He gently began petting him as he walked back toward the bed, thoughts consumed with the call.

“You know, I haven’t thought a lot about the Avengers since, Mr. Stark disappeared.”

At that, Tony tensed and stared up into the kid’s saddening eyes. Peter’s gaze was glued to a far off wall as he absentmindedly scratched at Tony’s neck. Tony touched down a paw over the kid’s heart and gave the smallest mew.

_‘I’m right here with you kid, even if you don’t know it’_

It was times like that where he felt compelled to try and get the truth out once again, but it was often dropped from the realization that he had tried everything he could think of. Peter, along with the rest of the world had no choice but to know that he wasn’t there. But he wondered if that was for the best. Peter had no fatherly figure in his life, and Tony liked to think that he could offer a little help in that field. Then again, if the team really was interested in taking Peter under their wing, then they would be able to be there for him in a way he couldn’t, which suggested that he didn’t have to worry about being in Peter’s life as a man.

“Say Spike. How’d you like to come to the tower with me and meet the Avengers?”

_‘I’ve already met them, but I was absolutely coming, even if I had to climb up the side of the tower myself’_

Despite Peter’s calm and cool behavior, Tony knew the truth about how he was feeling. The way he gripped him in his arms was just a little tighter than necessary. Also, he was sure the cat instincts had something to do with how he was able to sense his emotions so strongly; that or he just knew the kid that well after so long. Either way he didn’t mind. Peter wanted some form of comforting support to settle his nerves. As pleased as he was to come along, he understood that Peter mainly brought him as a source of comforting support to ease his nervousness.

“They’re gonna like me right?” Peter muttered to himself as he rode the elevator up. “I mean, I’m just doing what they’re doing. Just, on a smaller scale.”

Tony gave a little mew of agreement, prompting Peter to relax just a little and scratch his head.

“They’re definitely gonna like you. Unless they’re dog people.”

 _‘I could see Rogers as a dog person’_ Tony thought with a huff. _‘Aren’t golden retrievers like America’s dog or something?’_

It made him think back to when he was a man. Never had he really had much of a thought towards pets, and that of course only made his new life tougher in the beginning. 

“Maybe I should’ve brought Aunt May. No, that would be stupid. I’m grown-up enough to do this on my own, I think. I mean, I don’t even know if it’s about what I think it’s about. But if it is, that’ll be so cool.”

When the elevator doors opened, and they were in view of the doors to the tower, Tony tensed in his owner’s arms. He had not left this place on a good note after falling out with Steve. But it wasn’t just Steve he’d had an issue with. The failed mission that had put him off did not reflect well among the rest of the team members. If anything only Bruce seemed to not hold anything against him, and maybe to a degree Natasha.  
He pulled back against Peter’s chest with a slight moan of warning as the kid neared the door.

_‘Oh god. I don’t know if I can really face them again after all. What if…what if they somehow find out it’s me?!’_

“Spike, relax. I’m sure it’ll be alright.”

_‘Not if Capsicle’s here’_

Peter hesitantly reached out with a finger to hit the doorbell. A moment later it was opening. Tony held his breath as a wave of nervousness rolled over him in anticipation. 

“Nice, you took us up on the invite.”

Tony breathed a little easier at the sight of Clint greeting them. His relationship hadn’t turned that sour with the man, but he was better than cap. 

“There was no way I couldn’t. I mean, you’re…you’re the Avengers. I knew it had to be important…why you, wanted to see me.”

Clint grinned and gave him a welcoming pat on the shoulder.

“Come on in kid.”

Peter followed him in and took immediate interest in the classy abode of earth’s mightiest. Tony too cast his gaze around, noticing that nothing had been changed or altered since his time away. He briefly wondered if the same could be said about his room.

“Everyone! The famous wall crawler is here, and he’s…not alone?”

Once more Tony tensed as Clint set his curious eyes upon him. 

“Oh, this is Spike. My cat. I uh, hope you don’t mind that I brought him.”

“No it’s fine. No one’s allergic as far as I know,” Clint assured him. “Hey buddy.”

Instinctively Tony pulled back as Clint’s hand headed toward his head, but he reminded himself that he was the kind of cat that was fine with strangers petting him. And really, he had nothing to fear from Clint. The archer didn’t know who he was, and though he’d delivered a few sharp jabs at him from the failed mission, the man was alright.

Clint gently raked his fingers over Tony’s head, and not once did he feel all that comfortable about it. He couldn’t stop staring at Clint, wide-eyed. 

_‘God this is weird. Hawkeye petting Iron man. Never could have dreamed this up’_

He stopped as the tower’s occupancies began filing in. A tired looking Bruce staggered in, making Tony wonder if he’d recently hulked out. Natasha followed behind him appearing observant as she set eyes on Peter. Following her was the last person he expected to be there. Right away his heart began pounding with a mix of emotions.

_‘Shit. Pepper’_

As Peter greeted Bruce and Natasha politely, Tony kept his eyes on his ex. She looked just as beautiful as she had before they’d broken up. With kind eyes and a delightful smile, she stretched out a hand to the kid.

“Hello. I’m not sure if you remember me or not.”

“How could I forget, Ms. Potts. I mean the luncheon you and, Mr. Stark took me on was great. He always spoke highly of you.”

Tony noticed her smile falter just a bit, and he couldn’t tell if it was from Peter’s lack of knowing that their relationship had fizzled out, or if it was a sign that she’d been hurting from his mysterious disappearance. The break-up had not become public knowledge.

“Oh, what a cute cat.”

Her fingers tickled under his chin before wrapping around nicely to massage his head. It was enough to make him close his eyes and melt as he rung out a nice long purr. She was practically on the same level as Aunt May when it came to petting.

“Are you joining the team too?” she asked playfully.

 _‘I’ve already joined it, even though you’re not aware’_

“He likes you,” Peter commented.

_‘No, I loved her. Still do’_

He could only assume that she was doing alright without him in her life. He hoped so anyways. He didn’t want her sinking into a sad state since he departed her life. It was healthier for her to keep her life going well without him. And still he had favored the idea that he might make it back into her life somehow.

“This him?”

With ears pricked up straight, Tony snapped his head around at the voice coming into the room. A second later they were flattening against his head as the captain himself emerge with a perfect smile. Peter on the other hand was a little awestruck as he slowly extended a hand to the approaching Avenger.

“Mr. America, I mean, Captain America.”

“Steve will be fine.”

“Oh great. I’m, Peter. Peter Parker.

“Peter. Good to finally meet you.” His eyes then drifted down to Tony who held his eyes intensely. “This your sidekick?”

“Kinda.”

The minute Steve reached out a hand to possibly pet him, Tony reared against Peter as he swiped out his paw and let out a very vocal and threatening hiss. There was no way he was letting cap touch him.

_‘Back off cap! I haven’t forgotten or forgiven what went down between us’_

Both Peter and Steve acted as expected as they jumped from his reaction.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Peter apologized. “He’s usually happy to meet people.”

“The little guy’s clearly more of a Hawkeye fan,” Clint joked. 

“Are you sure about that?” Natasha teased.

“Spike, that wasn’t nice,” Peter scolded.

But Tony didn’t care. He gave a little huff and flicked his tail in satisfaction at the look of alarm on Steve’s face. Peter dropped Tony to the floor gently, and Steve instinctively took a step back.

_‘What’s the matter oh fearless captain? Scared of an innocent little cat?’_

“Again, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright kid,” he replied while giving Tony a wary look, “Uh, come and have a seat.”

Peter willingly let Steve lead him over to the couch in the living room as the rest followed. Tony stayed where he was as his mind was currently in the past. Steve’s appearance had drudged up that awful fight from the failed mission. Steve had insisted that he’d been too reckless in using his latest weapon upgrade on his suit to save them. It hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped, but he had assumed Steve would appreciate his attempt. Instead they fell into a bitter argument that escalated into nasty things being said. It had ended when they’d said their worst to the other.

 _“You don’t deserve to be on the team!”_

Tony had squared his shouldered and moved in close with his line of retaliation.

_“And you don’t deserve to be Captain America.”_

After that, Tony turned deaf ears to the shouts coming from his teammates. As much as he hated what Steve had said to him, the words sunk in heavy and hard. On that day he’d practically removed himself from the team as he’d avoided contact with any of them. Not long after that he was introduced to life on all fours, as if the universe had decided to answer his unspoken wish of wanting to get away from the Avengers for a while.

_‘I didn’t mean what I thought. I didn’t hate being an Avenger’_

Now that he was on his own for a moment, he slowly sat and took in the familiar surroundings of his previous home. It was unchanged. There was nothing added or changed in the place, so it was like he’d never left. The animosity shifted for a feeling of light longing. Despite the bitterness, he acknowledged that it would be nice to settle in as a man again, at least for a day or two, and climb into his Iron man suit. It almost didn’t matter that the others were present. His sudden interest in revisiting the lab and taking to the skies as Iron man with Jarvis in his ear was such a strong desire right now, he was almost compelled to high tail it down to the lab. But reality quickly set in and deflated him as he dropped his eyes down to his paws. There was doing no such thing as a cat.

“Kid. The fact of the matter is, we believe you have a lot of potential.”

_‘Hmm. Are they about to discuss what I think they’re going to discuss?’_

Curious, Tony padded further into the living room to listen in on the conversation at hand.


	4. Fishing for Trouble

“I want to start off by saying, you’re a lot younger than we figured you were,” Steve began.

“We didn’t exactly think you were an old man out there, but we never figured you for a high schooler. College kid at most,” Clint filled in. 

“Well it’s, tough sometimes, but I, always manage to do my homework on time…for the most part.”

Peter’s eyes flickered down to Tony who was sitting across from him on the floor. Tony puffed himself out a bit to inspire more confidence in the kid since it was clear he was pretty nervous with the interview. 

_‘You got this kid’_

“That’s good to hear,” Bruce added. “Still, it’s hard work. What made you want to get involved with such a life?”

Tony had heard the kid’s reasoning for becoming Spider-man before, so he instead focused his attention on Bruce. It hadn’t taken long for them to bond being that their common interest was science. He’d been quick to root for the man’s angrier, greener side, and was always interested in delving into conversations that were too complicated for the rest. Who did Bruce have in his corner for such things now? As Peter continued to divulge his history, Tony walked over to Bruce and rubbed up against his legs. The action startled the physicist which humored Tony. 

_‘I missed you bud. Hope you didn’t go forgetting about me’_

Bruce smiled warmly and scratched him behind the ear.

“We’ve been watching you for a while, and we like what we see.” Tony looked around as Steve took the floor now that Peter had finished with his statement. “So, if it wasn’t already clear, we contacted you because we were considering adding a new member to the team.”

A peeved warning moan issued from Tony’s throat as he zoned in on the captain with a fast flicking tail. Steve responded with a confused look, but otherwise tried to ignore him.

_‘So you were interested in replacing me’_

“That’s great,” Peter exclaimed excitedly. “I did sort of wondered if that’s what this was about. Actually I was hoping it was. I’ve always wanted to be part of you guys, ever since I met Mr. Star…”

He trailed off then and bowed his head out of something of respect. Tony dropped his anger in favor of concern. The others too dropped expressions of joy from Peter’s arrival which pleased Tony to know that the team still seemed to have a soft spot for him.

“I’m sorry,” Peter apologized. “I didn’t mean to upset—”

“It’s okay,” Natasha insisted. “It’s still hard not knowing what happened to Tony.”

“But we’re not giving up on him,” came Steve. “He’s still a member of the team, even if we’ve had moments of, difficulties.”

A moment of confliction wafted through Tony as he studied the look on the captain’s face. His brows were knitted together like he was truly troubled about the matter. And as much as he wanted to believe that it was an act, Tony couldn’t confirm it. 

_‘Are you really worried about me Rogers, or is this guilt from the last thing you said to me?’_

“So I’m not here to replace, Mr. Stark,” Peter clarified quietly.

The new subject being conversed clearly troubled Pepper to the point where she excused herself in favor of heading into the kitchen. Tony was tempted to follow, wanting to console her, but forced himself to stay.

“Of course not,” Bruce quickly stated. “This wasn’t about replacing him, because there’s no replacing Tony.”

“He’s right,” Steve agreed. “We saw you out there handling crime on your own, and we thought we’d extend a hand by having you join us. There are benefits to working on a team.”

“Yeah like free food and a cool place to stay,” Clint added.

“I meant dealing with criminals is easier with backup,” Steve clarified. “That’s especially true with stronger enemies. I know you’re capable, but there may be times where handling a mission alone is too dangerous.”

“Of course in the end it’s up to you,” Natasha said in a straightforward tone of voice. “Think about it carefully. It may be difficult for you to go on high risk missions when you still have school to think about.”

“And Aunt May,” Peter muttered under his breath. 

“Well while you’re thinking about it, how about a tour?” Clint proposed as he popped to his feet. “I’m aware that might influence you, but hey, couldn’t hurt.”

“Sounds cool,” Peter said happily.

_‘Well I’ve seen the place, but I think I’ll come too’_

Tony brought up the rear as he slowly walked behind the troop. He paid little interest to the tour guide Clint and only perked up with interest when Bruce introduced Peter to Jarvis who gave a friendly “hello”.

“It is nice to make your acquaintance Mr. Parker.”

Tony softly purred as he directed his gaze upward, pleased to know Jarvis had continued to stay up and running in the tower. Whether or not he’d had some fallout with the team, Tony preferred the Avengers had assistance from the best A.I around. 

_‘Too bad you can’t run a scan on me buddy and reveal that I wasn’t always a cat’_

With his old pal in mind, Tony turned his attention to the hallway that branched off into various rooms. One of those rooms was his, and he was quite interested in paying it a visit. Steve had taken over the tour and simply gestured toward the direction of their rooms. There clearly wasn’t a rush to show Peter their personal setups in their bedrooms. So Tony walked himself down the hall. His heart thumped just a little faster as his door came into sight.

_‘What am I getting all anxious about? It’s just a room’_

And yet it felt like it was much more than that. It was like a symbol of who he’d been and where his real home laid. Tony kept his eyes locked on the looming door. It hadn’t been taped off with caution tape as if he’d been declared dead so that was good. Still the fur on his back raised with the bizarre feeling of the room being occupied by his human self. Maybe because he was a cat, his imagination was running away with him in a strange direction, especially since he was back in the tower.

Tony sat before it, feeling as if he was sitting before his own grave. 

_‘Damn that sorceress. Wonder if I can get inside though’_

After a minute of revering it, he pressed both paws against the surface while hoping that Jarvis would take the hint and let him in. He had no reason to do that for a cat, but he still tried as he pawed at it.

_‘Do this one thing for me J. Come on. What’s the harm in letting a cat inside’_

“Spike? What are you doing?”

Tony’s attempt came to an end as Peter scooped him into his arms. 

“Curious about Stark’s room,” Natasha noted as she eyed him curiously. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter apologized. “He can be pretty curious sometimes.”

“It’s the saying cats are curious?” asked Bruce. 

Tony pouted against Peter’s arms as he carried him back to the front room. 

_‘Damn it’_ Tony cursed as Peter set him gently down on the floor. _‘Oh well. I can’t imagine anything was changed in it. Also, wouldn’t do me much good since I can’t use anything in it with these paws’_

His sulking came to a halt at the sound of a curious whirr across the room. Seconds later, a silver rumba was maneuvering its way across the floor in its duty to clean. Tony lowered himself and began to stalk toward the thing as though it were prey.

_‘I see they got one of these…things. I totally could’ve whipped up something far more superior’_

Still, he found himself annoying interested in the thing while Peter’s interview with the Avengers continued above him. He swished his tail about as a sudden feeling of playfulness rolled through him. Then without thinking about it he pounced, and landed on the little vacuum. It paused for a second before continuing with its cleaning routine, only this time it was accompanied by Tony sitting atop it for the ride. The odd thing was he wasn’t quite sure if he intended to ride it, or if it was some secret cat interest. What he did recall was catching a few videos of cats riding rumbas so he supposed it stuck with him deep down.

“Spike, what are you doing you goofball?” Peter questioned.

Tony looked up as his mode of transportation scooted along behind the couch. All eyes were on him. From the reaction of the team, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce seemed to think it was funny. Steve just looked confused and possibly a little worried about what affect his cat weight would have on their precious cleaning device.

“Looks like he’s entertaining himself,” Bruce pointed out.

“I’ve seen some cats do that,” Clint added. “It’s cool to finally see it in person.”

Tony puffed up his chest, satisfied from entertaining the watching crowd, but more than that he was enjoying himself like Bruce had said.

_‘Huh, no wonder cats like this. The best way to get around, and for free’_

The rumba did a slow spin before making its way to the kitchen. Not once did Tony lose his handle on riding it. He just remained perfectly sitting on the thing like it was no big deal.

_‘You know, you might not be so bad afterall. I wonder how I can get Peter to get one for the house’_

“Well someone’s having a good time,” Pepper stated as she passed the rumba cat on her way out of the kitchen. 

“It’s not hard for Spike to find something interesting to do,” Peter pointed out.

“Alright guys,” Steve said as he clapped his hands together, getting all of their attention, “What do you say we wrap this up with a nice lunch.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Clint.

“Me too,” said a smiling Peter. And as if on cue his stomach started to growl.

Later that evening, Peter was stretched out across his bed on his back with his eyes to the ceiling. Tony sat on the floor quietly licking a paw as he gave himself a bath. The tower had been clean enough, yet he felt he could be a lot cleaner after visiting his old home. All in all it hadn’t been a bad trip despite the negative feelings that had stirred within him from seeing the captain again. It had been worth it to see the old gang, especially Pepper. His only regret there was not spending more time with her. Instead he’d let his instincts lead him toward playing with a rumba. Then again, he figured he might get around to spending time with her once Peter made his choice.

He glanced up at the kid now who was still mulling over his time with the team.

_‘They’re not a bad bunch kid, despite how I feel about some of them sometimes’_

“Hey Spike, what do you think?” Peter finally asked. He shifted to lying down on his stomach so he could see him. “It’s a great opportunity. And it is smart to work on a team. I won’t have to worry about handling the weight alone. I mean it’s never been an issue really, but if there’s a lot of people involved it would be handy to have help. And being an Avenger means I’ll get to handle bigger things, bigger missions. Something more than chasing down a small time purse snatcher. Not to say that it’s boring work, but…I’m ready for greater things. I think I can handle it.”

_‘I think you can too kid. No one believes in you more than me, except maybe Aunt May’_

Tony leaped onto the bed and immediately started a chorus of purring the moment Peter lavished him with head scratches. If his boy did decide to upgrade himself into the role of an Avenger, he hoped the kid would still make time for him. Having been an Avenger, he knew how consuming that life could be. It had been rewarding. The best thing about it was being able to help more people on a grander scale. Thinking on it now, his heart felt a little heavy from missing it. And as he thought on it more, he fell back to the thought of being replaced. The team had insisted that Peter wasn’t there to replace him, and no matter how genuine their feelings appeared to be, he found himself worrying.

_‘Stop it. It’s not like they can let a cat join the team. And it’s not like they know it’s me. More than that, it’s not like I miss it enough. I’m happy here’_

“Spike?” Peter questioned curiously as Tony tensed and became fixated on a wall across from him.

It was true that he’d become quite comfortable with his feline life. Life without the drama of the team had been nicely peaceful. So maybe it wasn’t so much about the idea of Peter replacing him. Maybe it was really about the idea of falling back under the drama filled life of the team should Peter opt to become an Avenger.

_‘But it’s not like the kid’s gonna move us into the tower. He’s got Aunt May. So, is this really about connecting with the team again, or about me not being able to keep my spot as Iron man’_

“Something wrong Spike?”

Peter ran a hand down his back, snapping Tony out of his faraway thoughts. To wipe away the concern on his face, Tony rubbed his cheek against his before hopping down to the floor.

_‘Excuse me kid. This calls for some time with the fake mouse’_

He headed for the living room, in need of playing a few rounds with his pom-pom toy.


	5. A Kitty kind of Christmas

Tony wasn’t sure how long he sat there looking at himself in the mirror, but he just couldn’t seem to take his eyes off his brand new shiny red collar. Peter had opted to make it truly official by giving him the collar as a Christmas gift, along with a new toy of his own invention that was currently whirling around the living room. His christened name ‘Spike’ was right there on the tag. On the flip side was Peter’s contact number, should someone end up finding Tony in the event that he got lost. 

It wasn’t so much that it was a particularly fascinating collar, nor was it a case of him despising the thing around his neck. What had Tony transfixed was the fact that the animalistic device was like some kind of finalization to his feline life. It was like he was truly Spike now, the pet cat of Peter Parker, and no longer the human Tony Stark, and that in itself was a little bit scary to him. And yet, he had settled into his life comfortably.

_‘Nice to know the kid really wants to keep me around. And here I was wondering if he was tired of me’_

He cocked his head as he continued to study the thing, then raised himself up and purposely jingled the tag with a small shake.

_‘I really am the kid’s pet now, more-so than before’_

It hadn’t been a bad thing before, but now he was starting to wonder if it was, and all because of this gift.

He huffed and leaped down from the dresser to the floor. This wasn’t anything to get so riled up about. It wasn’t as if this stopped him from ever potentially finding a way to inform Peter about who he really was. All this meant was that Peter really loved him. He really loved Spike. If the boy knew who he really was, how much would things change between them? It was a thought that had him frozen in place for a moment. Naturally it would be so awkward, and he couldn’t imagine their relationship going back to the way it was before his transformation. The only way life worked between them now, was by being what Peter thought he was; a quirky cat called Spike. Tony Stark had nothing to do with him.

_‘Can I really continue being Spike?’_

He figured a better question was, did he have much of a choice. 

His tail twitched and his ears flattened as he growled at himself. Of course he could have put more effort in getting the truth out, but he hadn’t because when it came down to it there was a side of him that preferred this life. It was stress-free, easy, and offered amazing forms of pampering and comfort. Best of all, he had so much more time with the kid.

“Spike?” he heard said kid call from the front room, making Tony perk up.

 _‘I can be, if that’s what he needs from me’_ Tony decided for the moment before trotting into the living room. 

Both Aunt May and Peter had done a nice job decorating the place with the holiday spirit. Colorful blinking lights were strung along the wall, little Christmas statuettes decorated tabletops, and catchy Christmas tunes played from a radio near the tree which was decorated with a theme of silver and gold.

As Tony gazed at the tree he couldn’t help thinking about a familiar scene from the past where he held Pepper as they both took pleasure in looking at the tree they had just finished decorating. It would be moments like that he would miss while being a cat. 

His moment of reflecting was interrupted by his new gift that went zipping by behind him. Immediately Tony feel into the need of hunting as he turned and gave chase to the little robotic mouse Peter had built himself to keep him entertained. Tony was at first intrigued by the kid’s ingenuity. Even though it was a small, simple creation, he was proud of the kid for seemingly following in his footsteps in tech engineering. That in turn had brought to mind another loss with his cat life, yet his cat instincts had pushed it aside fairly quickly.

“You’re really enjoying that thing aren’t you,” Peter questioned as he watched Tony corner the mouse. There wasn’t much of an A.I to control it, so Tony was able to paw at it easily without it finding an easy escape.

“And here I was thinking it was garbage.”

Tony looked around at Peter with a tail flicking about with joy. The mechanical mouse was currently trapped under his paw.

_‘Garbage? You have the makings of a fine inventor. I just know it’_

He lifted his paw and readied himself to give chase, but the little guy fell over and gave a sad whir before appearing to die. Tony sniffed at it curiously, then pawed it as if to try and get it going again, but it was clear that it had malfunctioned. He huffed and gave a little growl as he sat up.

_‘Well, maybe that wouldn’t have happened if I was able to mentor you’_

“Oops, sorry Spike,” Peter apologized before rubbing his head. “I’ll see if I can fix it later.”

Just then the doorbell rang. 

Tony followed Peter to the front door now that he didn’t have something fast to steal his attention. And to his surprise and delight, he saw that their visitors were Pepper and Happy. The shock of seeing them had him frozen on the spot.

“Oh, hi Ms. Potts, Mr. Hogan. Oh yeah, Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you too Peter,” Pepper greeted.

“I see we have company,” said Aunt May as she came around the corner. 

“Ma’am, I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Happy apologized as he eyed Aunt May with an obvious eye of interest that Tony didn’t miss. But he shrugged it away in favor of rubbing up against his legs.

_‘How long has it been buddy’_

“Hey, nice cat.”

To his pleasure, Happy reached down and pulled him into his arms for a scratch on the head.

“Not at all, but it would be nice to know who you are,” Aunt May pointed out. “From what I gather, Peter knows you.”

“Oh right, uh, this is Ms. Potts. She’s uh, well she—”

“I’m the CEO of Stark industries,” Pepper concluded for him as she stuck out her hand. “Tony Stark invited him down to an expo months ago.”

“That’s right,” Aunt May responded as she recalled her nephew mentioning the event. “So nice to meet you.”

“And I’m head of security,” Happy informed her. He dropped Tony back to the ground as he took a higher interest in introducing himself to Peter’s aunt.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Um, won’t you have a seat.”

“We won’t intrude for long,” Pepper assured her. “I simply wanted to drop off a gift that Mr. Stark had in mind to give him. With it being Christmas and, well, since he was never able to give it to Peter himself, I figured what better time to bring it over than now.”

Peter expressed just the slightest bit of nervousness which Tony shared. If it had anything to do with super hero work, then she would be blowing the cover on the boy’s secret. He had designed a few things he meant to give to the kid, and it all related to his second life as Spider-man.

_‘Come on, she’s not reckless. She wouldn’t bring up Avenger or Spiderman matters with the kid’s guardian standing right here. She knows Aunt May doesn’t know his secret…I think’_

With the slightest feeling of wanting to stall her, Tony attempted to distract Aunt May by rubbing furiously against her legs.

“Spike, calm yourself.”

Tony didn’t calm himself. Instead he went as far as pulling at the end of her dress with his teeth.

_‘Focus on me. Or better yet, drop a hand down behind my ear. I could use a good scratch’_

None of it pulled her attention from Pepper handing Peter a thin box. Now Peter looked curious as he took the beautifully wrapped silver package. Tony found his interest peeked as he turned to watch his owner open the box.

“Oh wow.”

_‘What is it? I don’t exactly have a good view from down here’_

Peter lifted the object from the box, and to Tony’s pleasure he saw it was a Stark pad he had personally upgraded as he had meant to give it to the kid. It was more advanced than a regular I-pad, and ten times cooler since he’d put his own personal touches on it with Spider-man in mind. To anyone else, it just looked like a fancy computer under a famous name. There was no way Aunt May would uncover anything about the kid’s second identity or the Avengers with that thing. It would be the best way for the kid to keep in touch as opposed to using a phone.

“Thank you so much Ms. Potts.”

“That’s very generous of you,” Aunt May complimented.

“Like I said, Tony wanted him to have it. I also wanted to let you know that anytime you wish to stroll by Stark industries, it’s fine with me. I know Tony favored the idea of you taking an interest in his endeavors, and there’s no one you can learn better from than Tony Stark.”

Hearing her say such words had Tony’s heart soaring as well as melting. 

_‘Pep’_

Suddenly he couldn’t take just gazing up at her. He crouched down and leaped at her. Pepper acted upon instinct as she quickly caught him in her arms.

“Well hey yourself Spike,” Pepper greeted with a chuckled and a nice scratch behind his ears. “Seems like someone’s really into the holiday spirit.”

“Maybe. But Spike’s always been an unusual cat, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.”

Peter added his own scratches to Tony’s ear, making the purring sound he was already exhibiting increase in volume. 

“Would you both care to stay for a Christmas brunch?” Aunt May offered. 

Happy looked quite interested in staying.

“I’m afraid I can’t. Sadly I have a few things to take care of before I can settle down and appreciate the holiday,” said Pepper. 

“Um hey, Ms. Potts, can I talk to you, alone for a sec?” Peter asked.

Pepper furrowed her brow, but gave a nod, suggesting that she had an idea of what Peter wanted to talk about.

Peter led her outside into the hall. Tony curled further against Pepper’s rubbing fingers as he settled in to hear what the kid had to say.

“Um, Ms. Potts, about…about the team. I know I haven’t given them an answer still. I really don’t want them to think that I’m blowing them off or anything. I should’ve called them or something.”

“Peter, it’s okay. Really. They understand it’s a big decision for you, and the last thing they want is for you to rush. But whenever you’re ready, you can contact us on the Stark pad. You’ll be able to find it easily enough, and you won’t have to worry about anyone accidentally accessing any secret information on it. Or if you’d like, you can swing by the tower.”

“I really appreciate what you guys are doing for me. It’s something I won’t be able to repay you for.”

“You don’t have to worry about that Peter. The Avengers want to help you. They see your potential. And Tony…” Tony noticed that her eyes got a little misty and he gave a tiny mew in response. Her mask was slipping now that she wasn’t faced with both Happy and Aunt May. “Tony saw so much in you. So much that he, really wanted to help you, by doing more than providing a Stark pad. Now I’m not saying that to try and persuade you. I just want you to know how much Tony cared.”

With a sniffle, Pepper transferred Tony into Peter’s arms. He wasn’t ready to leave, and had even gone as far as to snag a claw into her sleeve. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Peter apologized as he worked to remove Tony’s paw from her person. “Maybe he really is hyped up about the holidays. He’s usually not so clingy.”

“No it’s fine. I think he’s rather cute.” She cupped his chin lovingly before planting a soft kiss on his furry head. Tony found himself melting all over again. “Well, I better get going. Uh, I hope your aunt won’t mind if Happy prefers to stay a while.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

As Tony watched his kid swing down to tackle a man that had tried to take a woman hostage on the streets near a jewelry store, he found himself coming to that odd conclusion that the boy really understood what he’d signed himself up for. Two weeks since Pepper and Happy’s visit had left Peter more certain of the move he wanted to make. Tony expected him to share his choice, but Peter had only ever run the decision through his head. As of late he’d become quite focused and serious, which meant that Tony wasn’t getting a ton of pets or playtime with him. There was still Aunt May for those things thankfully, but it was a sign that things were about to truly change between them. 

Sometimes he cursed himself for being so dramatic about it. Peter was just a little stressed right now, especially when he’d given himself a deadline to give an answer to the team once and for all. They would always be buds. A criminal organization or a fleet of alien intruders might take Peter away from him from time to time, but he was sure he’d always have him. 

He purred with pride as Spider-man shook hands with a cop and waved to cheering bystanders. 

_‘That really is your future kid. You’re suited for it’_

He wouldn’t get in the way of that. Peter was passionate about helping others, and he really hoped Happy would fill him in on the fact that he had designed a couple of Spider-man suits that he had intended to give him before his own cat-astrophe. 

_‘You’re gonna fill the gap in the team just fine’_

There was no denying that Spider-man was going to proceed him. Any little ache of jealousy he felt at the idea never lasted long. There was no one more suited to take his place, and deep down, he really wanted Peter to be it.

Tony rolled onto his side on the couch he’d been occupying and slowly closed his eyes. His owner could be a while, so he figured it’d be nice to take in a quick cat nap.


	6. Kitty Comforts

The next time Peter walks into the Avenger’s tower, it’s with a feeling of a great weight on his shoulders. Tony could sense it easily as the kid carried him inside while following Clint. At last the kid had decided where his future lied. He was to be an Avenger. No longer would he work the streets as a solo hero, risking bruises and potential escapes from a group of criminals. This time a whole team would have his back.  
Though Tony knew his kid could handle himself just fine, he did rather like the idea of him having the extra hand. It was hard not to worry about him when he was swinging out there taking on dangerous foes.

“Glad you decided to join us,” Clint told him as they made it into the living room. “It’d be cool if you could fully seal the deal by moving in.”

“Yeah well Aunt May still doesn’t know about me, and I’d hate to leave her so soon.”

 _‘I doubt she’d complain if Happy comes around enough’_ Tony thought as he recalled how often Happy liked to drop by. 

“Well there’s still some training cap wants to put you through. You’re still pretty young afterall.”

“But I’ll be leaving high school soon,” Peter pointed out in, what Tony knew, was a way to inform Clint that he wasn’t really some little kid.

“Yeah. Well even a college kid could learn a thing or two about combat. We’re always updating ourselves afterall. It’s a tough job, but, we believe in you.”

He dropped a hand on Peter’s shoulder, bringing about a smile on his face. Tony looked back at Clint with an expression of satisfaction for how much he was willing to help the kid out. Pepper was great for him, but it was nice to know there was also a male figure Peter could get in touch with if he needed it. There had been so many times where Tony witnessed moments where Peter had expressed a need for his Uncle Ben. How he had longed for the paws and tail to disappear for a moment just so he could provide some fulfillment in that area for him. 

“Uh, I’ll leave you to set up a spare room if you want. Just, whenever you think you might need a temporary spot. Steve and the others might not be back for a while, so you can just hang out if you don’t want to go that far.”

Peter gave it a minute’s thought before responding with a soft smile.

“Actually it would be nice to set up a spare room, just in case, because I think it might be a good idea for me to let Aunt May know who I really am. I’ve never had a reason not to trust her.”

“Alright. I’ll be in my room if you need me. Just call Jarvis if you need help.”

Peter nodded and Clint walked away, leaving Peter and Tony to the quietness of an empty living room. 

Tony leapt from the kids arms and touched down easily. It really was good to be back in the tower, especially now that Peter had made things official. With a flickering tail, Tony settled his gaze on the kid as he slowly wandered about the space, taking in the reality of the life he’d chosen. He really did look happy. 

“I can’t believe I’m an Avenger now,” Peter muttered in awe. He turned to Tony with a big grin on his face. “Spike, I’m really a part of the team! It’s official.”

_‘You deserve a spot here kid. Glad the others saw that’_

Peter walked over to a side table where a couple of framed pictures rested. One in particular caught his interest and he picked it up for a closer look. The smile slipped as he zoned in on the face of Tony Stark offering a confident smile to the camera as he posed next to the rest of the team. Peter released a small breath of air as he slowly ran his thumb along the edge of it while his heart sunk. 

“Wish Mr. Stark was here to see this,” he said softly. “I think he’d be happy I became an Avenger.”

_‘Of course I am’_

With a sorrowful mew, Tony rubbed his head against Peter’s leg, desiring to let him know that he was still there. That he hadn’t left his life in all this time. How bizarre it was to think now, after all this time, that he was never able to communicate the message across of who he really was. He had just come to accept it, as if he had truly died in this world, and in a way he had asked everyone else to accept it as well. But now that he was within reach of his A.I, via Spider-man, he believed he could potentially access a way to make it known. His lab still had to be here, and though he was sure Jarvis wouldn’t be keen on allowing a cat into the lab, he was sure he was clever enough to figure out a way.

“I know you’re proud of me Spike.”

Tony purred in response, and the sound only increased in volume when the kid reached down to scratch his head. This life had been so simple and pleasurable that he felt odd about leaving it. Maybe it was a sign of being a cat for far too long. A whole year of being stuck as a cat was something he should find upsetting, yet he hadn’t. Why?

As he looked up at Peter who was smiling down at him, the answer was clear. He liked being with this kid. He liked giving in to a side of himself that didn’t have to be on top of things at all times. When exactly had been the last time he’d taken a vacation as a man before his new life? He couldn’t even remember. 

Still no one knew. He could follow the kid into this tower forever known as Spike. It would be so easy to continue that way.

“Spike, even though I’ve decided this, I’m…nervous. I wanna be good enough for the team. I can’t let them down.”

Tony felt his heart squeeze at that and he rubbed against his leg even harder, prompting him to pull him into his arms. 

“I’m glad to have your support Spike.”

_‘I’m glad to give it’_

He could truly feel the kid was really worried about this, but he sought comfort in his furry friend. Peter never had to prove anything to him since in his eyes he was an animal. Though, thankfully, he had recognized that he was an intelligent animal. He was able to make him feel relaxed as a cat, and he wasn’t quite sure if he’d ever been able to get Peter to feel relaxed as Tony Stark. Then again, they’d still had a lot of bonding to do before they would have reached that point.

“You and I have been a team since the day I found you in that alley, and that won’t ever change because of this.”

 _‘I’d never want it to change’_ Tony thought as he looked him right in the eyes.

_‘It won’t hurt anyone if I stick around a little longer on all fours. If I find my way back to being a human, I’ll make sure I make a hell of a grand entrance’_

The front door clicked open, stealing both of their attentions. Steve walked into the room, and immediately Tony felt a sense of nervousness from Peter.

“Hey kid. Here for a little training already?”

“Yeah, I thought it’d be good if I got an early start. I, didn’t have much planned this Saturday.”

“Alright.” Tony gave a warning moan as he looked up at the captain, making him wary of moving closer. “Uh, hey Spike.”

“Spike, be nice.”

 _‘I’ll be nice. Just taking some fun in making the captain sweat a little’_

He flicked his tail in satisfaction as Peter set him down on the ground.

“Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you,” Peter insisted.

“I think he’s just pretty protective of you, which isn’t a bad thing. How about we head down to the gym?”

“Cool.”

Tony sat down and watched as Peter followed Steve out of the room. As much as he liked to tease the man by making him nervous, he was pleased that the man would be helping the kid train. Steve, along with the others, would be there to help the kid whether he returned to the world or not.

In need of a quick clean, he licked his paw and ran it over his face before turning his attention to the picture Peter had been eyeing. In that moment he was wholly devoted to his work as an Avenger. Everything had been going smoothly for him, and he’d still had his relationship with Pepper. He believed that he would’ve returned to that moment of happiness had a witch not turned the tables on him. But a witch had, and he was given a new life. One that had its ups and downs much like it had been when he was human. But overall he was happy.

 _‘You didn’t destroy my life like you hoped’_ he thought, with his words directed at said witch. He was Tony Stark, and he always managed to find a way around his problems.

The whirring sound of the tower’s rumba reached his ears as it slid by on its cleaning route. Tony watched it with interest, suddenly desiring another ride on the thing. That had been fun afterall. At the same time he also had an interest to leave the tower altogether, and go prowling through the alleyways. But he pushed all those urges down for the sake of checking in on Peter’s training. 

_‘Show Capsicle just how strong of an Avenger you can be’_ Tony encouraged as he dashed out of the room and headed for the gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the idea of this fic first came to mind, I did consider an ending where Tony's cat curse only lasted a year (hence the title), meaning he transformed back while in Peter's home. Yet I was a bit more intrigued with him not changing back since I'd never seen a transformation story keep Tony transformed. But in a way this is a bit of an open ending as Tony points out he could possibly find a way to get Jarvis clued in on who he is. So, there could be room for a follow up where human Tony returns to the world. For now, I've a lot of fic ideas I'd love to get to, especially with Halloween coming up. Thanks for reading.


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